Cucumber Ale

[ScrewyBrewer]

I'll admit when it comes to the kitchen I don't exactly bring my A game. Case in point, SWMBO gave me the most basic task of cutting 3/4's of a cucumber into 1/4 inch slices, then add them to a tomato salad. Apparently it's a lot easier if you peel the skin off of the cucumber first. Anyhow, after surgically removing all remnants of skin from 20 cucumber slices, I remembered wanting to brew a cucumber beer. I noticed that the cucumber peels had a lot more aroma than the cucumber slices did, I must have thrown away an ounce of peels when I was done peeling.

Thoughts of a Kolsch recipe, fermented with WLP-001 and sufficiently hopped with Magnum might be the perfect base recipe for a cucumber beer. Using a mix of 95% Pilsen and 5% Vienna malts, with a BU:GU ratio of .425 to create a perfect base recipe to showcase cucumber flavor and aroma. A target of 4.5-5.5 ABV would make this beer very drinkable and the addition of cucumber will make this beer very refreshing.

If and when I ever get serious enough to actually brew this cucumber beer I won't hold back on the amount of cucumber peels that I add to the kettle. Like my pappy used to say, 'anything worth doing is worth over doing'. One thing is for certain I haven't seen a single cucumber beer on tap, bottled or in a can yet. I'm either on to something pretty special or ending up drinking 10 gallons of cucumber beer all by myself. Who knows, in the process I may end up being the world's leading authority on cucumber ale.

[John Sand]

I have no suggestions. But I think I may have tried a cucumber ale. I know I have tried cucumber vodka, it was good.

[bpgreen]

I don't care much for cucumbers, so I don't think I'd like this, but if you like cucumbers, go for it. I think it was crazybrody who once made an asparagus beer.

[mashani]

I've had a Kolsch like beer that had cucumber and watermelon juice in it before, and it was pretty tasty on a hot day. So the concept is good.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Seems from what I've read the peels are out. According to what other brewers have posted the best tasting cucumber beers use cucumber chunks in the fermentor. One method is to remove the peels, slice the cucumbers in half and then scoop out the seeds, before cutting them into chunks that get added to the fermentor. Another method uses the same preparation but instead calls for soaking the cucumber chunks in Vodka to create a 'tea', that then gets added to the fermented beer.

The amount of cucumbers used to add just the right amount of flavor, and length of contact time with the beer, vary widely from brewer to brewer. It doesn't seem like anyone has brewed this type of beer more than once, based on what I've read so far. They all did agree on this though, don't boil the cucumbers because it changes the flavor too much and the peels are way too bitter and they will tint the beer green.

[MrBandGuy]

Not to burst your bubble, but Flat 12, in Indy, does in fact brew a summer Cucumber Kolsch.

Word on the street is that they switched to extract and it's not as good now. It made me burpy from all the cucumbers, so I avoid it. But it has a following.

[HerbMeowing]

Might could be inclined to add large cucumber chunks sans skin at some point while fermentation wanes. Cucurbit background sounds kinda tasty.

As for scouring seeds; if the cuke has seeds ... it's over-ripe.

---
Got me thinking ... tho
Sowed cucumber seed earlier this week
Picking starts late June then peaks 'bout 4th of July
Plenty-o-time to come up with recipe

[ScrewyBrewer]

After doing some impromptu market research, with friends and family, there's just not enough interest in a cucumber beer. Nearly everyone I talked to had never had one before, although most thought it would be an interesting beer to try. I'm not confident enough, without knowing how this would turn out, to brew a 10 gallon batch. So once again the cucumber ale recipe will be placed on a things to brew list, maybe to brewed in a smaller batch at some point.

[Kealia]

I'm late to the game but did have a cucumber sour last year while on a road trip. It was light, tasty and well done but I'm afraid I couldn't tell you anything about it.

Maybe you could do a small 2.5G BIAB test batch?

[mashani]

Although it seems too obvious, a cucumber Goze would be nice I think.